1. Origins
A. The Poultry Nutrition, Physiology and Health Postdoctoral Fellowship has been developed to support an outstanding postgraduate research student in the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney to undertake research to find solutions to reduce our dependency import of soybean meal for Australian chicken meat producers. .
b. This scholarship is supported by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) of the University of Sydney.
2. Eligibility
A. The scholarship is offered subject to the applicant having an unconditional offer of admission to undertake a full-time PhD in the Faculty of Science.
b. A candidate without an unconditional offer of admission may apply and be selected, however, no scholarship offer will be sent until the candidate receives an unconditional offer of admission.
vs. The candidate must meet all the mandatory admission requirements set by the University. No exceptions to the admission requirements will be granted.
d. Applicant must hold an Honors (First Class) or equivalent First Class degree. An applicant with a master’s degree in a field related to animal, biological or veterinary sciences, with a substantial research component, i.e. 25% of a one-year full-time study load, will also be considered.
e. The candidate should be willing to undertake research in poultry nutrition and production under the supervision of Associate Professor Sonia Liu.
F. Applicant must be willing to handle animals and do comprehensive field work on the farm and feed mill.
3. Selection criteria
A. The successful candidate will receive the scholarship on the basis of:
A. demonstrated academic achievement,
b. demonstrated research experience,
vs. curriculum vitae,
d. area of study and/or research proposal,
e. personal statement demonstrating interest in the research project,
F. interview.
b. Applicants may be required to complete a practical exercise as part of the selection process. This test may include a test of academic research skills such as writing, communication, and statistics.
vs. The successful candidate will be awarded the scholarship by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) on the recommendation of Associate Professor Sonia Liu.
4. Value
A. The scholarship provides a living stipend equivalent to the University of Sydney Research Training Program (RTP) stipend rate (indexed on 1 January each year) for up to 3.5 years for subject PhD students meet academic progression requirements. The University may approve a part-time scholarship* where the University is satisfied that there are special circumstances beyond the students’ control (eg, medical conditions, financial hardship, caregiver responsibilities).
* A part-time scholarship may have tax implications and the student should seek tax advice from registered tax agents.
b. No extension is possible.
vs. Periods of study already undertaken towards the degree before the start of the scholarship will be deducted from the maximum duration of the scholarship.
d. The scholarship cannot be postponed or transferred to another field of research.
e. No other amount is payable.
F. The scholarship will be offered subject to the availability of funds.
5. Eligibility for Progression
A. Progression is subject to passing annual progress reviews and maintaining satisfactory course progress.
6. Leave Provisions
A. Scholarship holders receive up to 20 working days of leisure time off every 12 months of the scholarship and this can be accumulated. Any unused leave at the end or end of the fellowship will be forfeited. Leisure leave does not attract a leave charge. The supervisor’s agreement must be obtained before taking leave.
b. Scholarship holders can take up to 10 working days of sick leave every 12 months of the scholarship and this can be accumulated during the duration of the scholarship. Students with caring responsibilities may convert up to five days of their annual sick leave entitlement to caring leave upon presentation of one or more medical certificates. Students taking sick leave should notify their supervisor as soon as possible.
vs. Scholarship holders may be granted additional paid sick leave of up to a total of twelve weeks during their scholarship for periods of medically justified illness where the student does not have sufficient sick leave entitlements available under clause 6b above. Students requesting additional paid sick leave should do so at the start of their absence or as soon as possible. Additional paid sick leave periods are added to the duration of the fellowship.
d. Once scholarship holders have completed twelve months of their scholarship, they are entitled to a maximum of twelve weeks of paid parental leave for the duration of the scholarship. Students requesting paid parental leave must do so at least four weeks prior to the start date of the leave. Periods of paid parental leave are added to the duration of the scholarship. Scholarship holders who have not completed twelve months of their scholarship may access unpaid parental leave through the suspension provisions. When applying for parental leave, the applicant must include at least one of the following documents:
A. letter from a medical professional related to the pregnancy,
b. a surrogacy agreement,
vs. birth certificate of the child,
d. adoption papers, or
e. documentation supporting the application.
7. Research abroad
A. The Fellow cannot normally carry out research abroad during the first six months following the award.
b. The Fellow may undertake up to 12 months of research outside Australia. Approval must be sought from the student’s supervisor, school principal, and faculty via a Higher Degree Application from the Center for Research Administration (HDRAC) and will only be granted if the research is essential upon graduation. All periods of research abroad are cumulative and will count towards a student’s application. Students must remain enrolled full-time at the University and receive approval to count time away.
8. Discontinuation
A. Scholarship holders cannot suspend their scholarship during the first six months.
b. Fellowship holders may request up to 4 periods of suspension from research for any reason during the term of their Fellowship. Periods of suspension are cumulative and failure to resume studies after suspension will result in termination of the scholarship. Approval of the suspension must be given by the head of the department/school concerned. The periods of study towards the degree during the suspension of the scholarship will be deducted from the maximum duration of the scholarship.
9. Registration Changes
A. The scholarship recipient must promptly notify HDRAC and their supervisor of any intended changes to their enrollment, including, but not limited to: attendance pattern, suspension, discharge, withdrawal, course transfer, and the upgrade or downgrade of the application. If the scholarship holder does not provide notice of the changes identified above, the University may require reimbursement of any overpaid stipend.
10. Termination
A. Unless terminated in accordance with the provisions specified in the preceding clauses, the scholarship will be terminated:
I. when submitting the thesis or at the end of the scholarship,
II. on resignation or withdrawal of the student from his HDR program,
III. if the student ceases to be a full-time student and prior authorization has not been obtained to hold the scholarship on a part-time basis,
IV. once the student has completed 14 full-time research periods for a doctorate,
V. if the recipient is awarded an alternative stipend whose value exceeds 75% of the stipend value of that scholarship,
VI. does not return to school at the end of a period of approved leave, or
VII. if the student ceases to meet the eligibility criteria specified for this scholarship (other than during a period in which the scholarship was suspended or during a period of approved leave).
b. The scholarship may also be terminated by the University before this date if, in the opinion of the University:
I. the course of study is not carried out with skill and diligence or in accordance with the terms of this offer,
II. the student fails to maintain satisfactory progress, or
III. the student has committed misconduct or other inappropriate conduct.
vs. Benefit payments will be suspended for the duration of any investigation/appeal process.
d. Once the scholarship is terminated, it will not be reinstated, except in the case of error by the University.
11. Misconduct
A. Where during the scholarship a student engages in misconduct or other inappropriate conduct (either during the scholarship or in relation to the student’s application and eligibility for the scholarship), which in the opinion of the University, justifies the recovery of the funds paid to the student, the University may require the student to reimburse the amounts of the stipend and any other payments made to the student in connection with the scholarship. Examples of such conduct include and are not limited to; academic dishonesty, research misconduct within the meaning of the Code of Conduct for Research (e.g. plagiarism in proposing, carrying out or reporting research results, or failure to declare or manage a serious conflict of interest), violation of the Code of Conduct for Students and misrepresentation in application documents or other documents associated with the scholarship.
b. The University may require such reimbursement at any time during or after the scholarship period. Further, by accepting this scholarship, the student consents that all aspects of any investigation of misconduct related to this scholarship will be disclosed by the University to the funding agency and/or any relevant professional body.
